Jojo Was Once Put on an Extremely Dangerous Diet Plan by Her Record Label

FoodMarch 31, 2020

Oftentimes we look at our favorite celebrities and their enviable bodies and think why don’t we look like them.

The truth is that appearance is the main selling point in Hollywood which means that celebrities must undergo extreme diets, weight-loss plans and gruelling workouts to look the way they do.

This is exactly what Jojo had to endure when she was emerging as a young teenage star back in the 90s.

Jojo was the most promising new pop star back in the day

The singer was only 13-year-old when she released her hit single, Leave (Get Out), but looking back at it now, she probably wouldn’t do it again.

While everything may have looked normal about the young girl’s appearance, Jojo’s health was in danger after her record label at the time put her on a diet that was alarmingly low in calories.

The singer opened up about her health struggles in a recent interview where she revealed the 500-calorie diet plan she followed at the height of her fame.

But her success was short-lived as the record label, Blackground, refused to let her record any new music after the hit single, until she looked ‘healthier’.

Blackground refused to let Jojo record any new music

Jojo recalled that she was 18-years-old when she was called into the board’s office as an intervention because she had put on some weight. The label’s definition of healthy meant being as skinny as possible to fit the industry’s unrealistic beauty mold.

The Blackground’s president was more fixated on her weight than her overall health or mental well-being, a scary reality of the entertainment industry.

Jojo was later appointed a nutritionist who put her on a 500-calorie diet, along with a daily dose of appetite suppressants. This unhealthy diet developed into disordered eating over time, amplifying her insecurities about her physical appearance even more.

Jojo’s unhealthy habits took a turn for the worse after she starting drinking and using drugs as a coping mechanism. This was reflective of a greater problem with her self-esteem and body image issues.

Jojo is much healthier now

All she wanted to do was to feel worthy and accepted again. As a result, she was going to clubs every night, stumbling out drunk and even blacking out some nights due to excessive drinking.

When her record label refused to release her from her contract, Jojo took the matter to court, and the case was later settled although the singer did not receive any monetary compensation as a result.